Sox Beat Rays In Season Finale (10/5/22)

The miserable 2022 Boston Red Sox season is finally over and at least the Sox went out with a bang, sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays out of Boston before their first round showdown with the Cleveland Guardians. JD Martinez in his possible final game with the Red Sox was the hero of this one, hitting two home runs including a 3 run bomb to pace the offense. Sox starter Nick Pivetta allowed 2 runs in 4 innings but Eduard Bazardo picked up his first career win by pitching the fifth inning. The Sox pulled away in the bottom of the eighth with rbis from Triston Casas and Christian Arroyo and Matt Barnes earned possibly his final save with the Red Sox as Boston ended 2022 winners with a 6-3 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                                We made it!

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first and Manny Margot struck out swinging to start. Randy Arozarena struck out swinging but Jiman Choi got a base hit to right. Harold Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Josh Fleming in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left and Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Alex Verdugo beat out a double play ball and JD Martinez smashed his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Eric Hosmer grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                         Martinez jacks one

Isaac Paredes walked to start the top of the second and David Peralta did the same. Rene Pinto took strike three and Taylor Walls forced Peralta at second. Jonathan Aranda grounded out to second to end the inning. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second and Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Abraham Almonte took strike three and Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Rays struck back in the top of the third as Margot grounded out to second to start. Arozarena got a base hit to left and Choi hit a home run all the way to South Korea to cut the lead. Ramirez flied out to center and Paredes did the same to end the inning with the Rays down 3-2.

                                                               Choi hits one out

Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third and Bogaerts struck out swinging. Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning.

Peralta flied out to center to start the top of the fourth but Pinto doubled to center. Walls walked but Aranda struck out swinging. Margot forced Walls at second to end the inning. That was it for Pivetta who was pitching well but Alex Cora wanted the bullpen to get in one last game. He allowed 2 runs in 4 innings.

                                                    Pivetta shuts it down for the winter

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez belted his possibly last home run in a Red Sox uniform to start. Hosmer singled to center but Arroyo grounded into a double play. McGuire got a base hit to center but Almonte grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                             Martinez hits another one out

Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Triston Casas took over for Hosmer at first. Arozarena walked and Vidal Brujan ran for him. Brujan got picked off and its a good thing he was because Choi doubled to right. Ramirez grounded back to the mound and Paredes grounded out to short to end the inning. Hernandez took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth and Devers grounded out to first. Bogaerts beat out a roller to third to chase Fleming. Shawn Armstrong came in and Walls struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Strahm came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Peralta was hit with a pitch to start. Pinto grounded into a double play and Walls struck out swinging to end the inning. Javy Guerra came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Martinez flied out to right to begin. Casas flied out to left and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Yu Chang took over for Bogaerts, Bobby Dalbec took over for Devers and Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the seventh. Aranda struck out swinging to start and Margot lined out to left. Brujan then hit a home run all the way to Concord to cut the lead. Choi walked and Josi Siri pinch hit for Ramirez. Siri lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                          Couldn't quite get it

JT Chargois came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and McGuire flied out to center to start. Almonte was hit with a pitch but Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

John Schreiber came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Paredes flied out to center. Peralta hit a ground rule double down the right field linen but Pinto struck out swinging. Walls walked but Aranda flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the eighth as Jimmy Yacabonis came in to pitch. Dalbec beat out a roller to third and Chang drew a walk. Verdugo flied out to left and Connor Wong pinch hit for Martinez. Wong walked to load the bases and Casas walked to score Chang. Arroyo drove in the final run of the year with a base hit to right to score Chang. McGuire struck out swinging and Almonte took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 6-3.

                                                        Sox ending the season with a bang

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Margot grounded out to second to start. Brujan flied out to left and Choi flied out to center to end the game & the season. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. In his last game with Boston he hit two home runs and outscored the Rays by himself.

                                                                     One final Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec singled and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3.

Yu Chang walked and scored a run.

Connor Wong walked in his only at-bat.

Eric Hosmer was 1 for 2.

Triston Casas walked and scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Nick Pivetta allowed just 2 runs in 4 innings.

Eduardo Bazardo got the win with a scoreless fifth inning.

Matt Straham pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 8th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Reese McGuire was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Abraham Almonte was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

Now its time for the eulogy. This year was pretty much decided before the season when Sox GM Chaim Bloom made the mistakes of letting Kyle Schwarber walk and trading Hunter Renfroe for Jackie Bradley Jr. Schwarber hit 46 home runs for Philadelphia and Hunter hit 29 for Milwaukee. Franchy Cordero hit 8 and JBJ hit 3 before being released. The failure by proxy is Bobby Dalbec hit just 12. That's 75 home runs to 23....yikes. On top of that, Trevor Story was a titanic bust hitting .238 in just 94 games. The killer can be blamed on Sox GM Chaim Bloom if you want but the injuries did the team in. Rich Hill, James Paxton and Michael Wacha all got hurt along with Nathan Eovaldi causing the Sox to rely on four rookies. Connor Seabold, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello and Josh Winckowski weren't ready for prime time and the AL East feasted on them. Even when the Sox traded pieces at the deadline, Eric Hosmer was hurt within 2 weeks and the Sox faded out of sight with their bad pitching. The July disaster against the Toronto Blue Jays was the microcosm of the lost season. Bad pitching and couldn't beat the AL East. Worse, John Henry has made it clear he's done spending money so we've probably seen the last of every expiring contract including Bogaerts, Hosmer, Pham, Matt Strahm, Nate Eovaldi and Martinez. Replacing Schwarber and Renfroe was a disaster so Sox fans have almost zero faith Sox GM Chaim Bloom can do any better this coming winter. Who knows, maybe John Henry will have a change of heart and they'll sign some free agents and re-sign Bogaerts....yeah right. The final record of the season is 78-84, good for last place for the second time in three seasons. Chaim Bloom did everything asked of him by the owners and could get fired anyway. The farm system didn't have a good season compared to last year either so he's on the hot seat for sure. Hopefully the Sox can turn it around and we can laugh at this season by this time next year....we hope.

Sox Beat Rays in Rain Shortened Game (10/4/22)

Mother Nature smiled on the Boston Red Sox tonight. Nathan Eovaldi (6-3, 3.87 ERA) was technically credited with a complete game shutout after pitching just five innings. Why? The Red Sox broke out to a 1-0 lead on the Tampa Bay Rays and old pal Jeffrey Springs on a third inning rbi by Christian Arroyo. In the bottom of the fifth, Xander Bogaerts belted a grand slam off Colin Poche and the Sox got another run off 2 errors on the same play.....and the rains came. Heavy rain had the tarp on the field and after an hour, the umpires saw the score and said "the hell with it". The Sox were declared the winners 5-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Cory Chase approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz grounded out to second to start. Wander Franco and Ji-Man Choi both struck out swinging to end the inning. Springs got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Both Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts both grounded out to second to end the inning.

Isaac Paredes grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Jonathan Aranda grounded out to first. Christian Bethancourt struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo walked to start. JD Martinez struck out swinging and Kike Hernandez popped up to third, but the returning Eric Hosmer singled to center. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to right to score Verdugo to put Boston on top. Connor Wong lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Arroyo drives in a run

Vidal Brujan flied out to center to start the top of the third and Taylor Walls popped up to third. Jose Siri singled to left but Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Pham took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Devers lined out to second. Bogaerts lined out to short to end the inning. 

The Rays threatened in the top of the fourth as Franco and Choi drew back to back walks to start. Paredes flied out to right to move Franco to third but Aranda grounded into a double play to end the inning. Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Hernandez walked. Hosmer grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bethancourt popped up to third to start the top of the fifth and Brujan flied out to left. Walls doubled to left but Siri flied out to left to end the inning. Nobody knew it then but that was it for Eovaldi and he'd be given a complete game shutout after rain ended the game early. In his possible final start with Boston he allowed just 2 hits and 2 walks.

                                                       Thanks for the memories Eovaldi

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth with Colin Poche now on the mound. Arroyo singled to right and Wong doubled to center, but Pham struck out swinging. Devers walked and Bogaerts crushed a grand slam, his 15th home run of the season to turn this game into a rout. Brooks Raley came in to pitch and Verdugo grounded out to first, but Martinez walked. Hernandez walked and Hosmer hit a routine grounder to Walls....thrown away for an error and also bobbled by Raley for another error to score Martinez. With the heavy rain already falling, the umpires said this game is over. The tarp came on the field and the Sox had won it 5-0.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is Xander Bogarts. His grand slam basically decided the game for the umpires to call it with nothing to lose by either team.

                                                        A grand slam fit for a Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez walked twice.

Eric Hosmer was 1 for 3.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 2 with an rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Nathan Eovaldi got the win by throwing 5 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and 2 walks.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

It sounds cheap to end the game early but the Rays were treating this like an exhibition game to begin with since they're playing the Cleveland Guardians in 3 days. The only shame is this might be the last game for a lot of these guys who are most likely not coming back next year like Eovaldi. Its also worth noting that the Sox never really had their full lineup post trade deadline with Eric Hosmer missing all of September. Not that the pitching was going to hold up but their 1-9 with Hosmer and Trevor Story might have bopped their way into a few games. Then again, Triston Casas needed the experience. Whether or not Bogaerts plays tomorrow is up in the air but if that was his last big hit, at least he went out with a bang. Would be nice to see JD Martinez hit a grand slam too tomorrow but beggars can't be choosers. The epitaph of the 2022 Red Sox was a team that could have been great but Sox GM Chaim Bloom made too many off-season blunders. Banking on Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec over Kyle Schwarber was a disaster, trading Hunter Renfroe for Jackie Bradley Jr was a mistake and the signings of Michael Wacha, Rich Hill and James Paxton looked foolish when all 3 got hurt. Not to mention their inability to beat the AL East. It all added up to a lost season in last place for the second time in three years. Still, they won tonight...thank you Mother Nature. The win improved the Sox to 77-84, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox have one last game this season tomorrow afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. Nick Pivetta goes for the Sox in the season finale against Josh Fleming of Tampa Bay. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Blank Sox...Again (10/1/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Kaleb Ort finally relented and got the Covid vaccine so he's been taken off the restricted list. Jarren Duran and Tyler Danish were mercifully sent back to Worcester and Josh Winckowski has been called up to take their places. Duran tanked his value this season big time and Winckowski has a higher upside than Danish...we hope.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                             IN

As for the game, years from now when the Toronto Blue Jays are bad and the Red Sox are good, people are going to look back on their 2022 schedule and go "What the hell was THAT?" Not only did the Jays beat the Sox in 15 out of 18 games (with one remaining) but they beat them BAD. The 28 run game in July and now back to back shutouts with a combined score of 20-0. In tonight's game, Ross Stripling held the Sox to just 4 measly hits in 6 shutout innings. The Boston bats got just 1 hit against the Jays bullpen. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (2-8, 4.71 ERA) took another step in the wrong direction when he was hammered for for 10 hits and 4 runs in just 4 innings. Then the Jays feasted on the bullpen of Zack Kelly and Joshn Winckowski for 6 runs and 11 hits combined. The Jays as a team pounded out 21 hits and 10 runs as they continued their utter domination with a 10-0 over the Sox at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Stripling got the ball in the top of the first and Tommy Pham grounded out to third to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left but Xander Bogaerts popped up to first. Alex Verdugo also popped up to first to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and George Springer got a base hit to right to start. Bo Bichette singled in the hole at second but Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging. Alejandro Kirk struck out swinging and Matt Chapman forced Springer at third to end the inning.

Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Triston Casas took strike three. Christian Arroyo beat out a roller to third but Kike Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. The Jays struck in the bottom of the second as Teoscar Hernandez singled to center to start. Raimel Tapia got a base hit to left and a wild pitch moved the runners over. Danny Jansen got a base hit to left to score Hernandez. A wild pitch scored Tapia but Whit Merrifield struck out swinging. Springer forced Jansen at third but Bichette got a base hit to right. Guerrero Jr grounded out to short to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.

                                                             Jays strike first

Connor Wong grounded out to short to start the top of the third and Pham grounded out to second. Devers lined out to center to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the third as Kirk grounded out to short to start. Chapman struck out swinging but Hernandez doubled to center. Tapia walked and Jansen doubled to right to score both runners, taking third on the throw home. Merrifield grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 4-0.

                                                        Jansen drives in a pair

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Verdugo got a base hit to center and Bichette booted a grounder by Refsnyder. Casas lined out to left and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Springer got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Bichette got a base hit to right. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third to move the runners over but Kirk walked to load the bases. Chapman grounded into a double play to end the inning. That was it for Bello who got rocked for 4 runs in just 4 innings allowing 10 hits and 2 walks. Better luck next year.

                                                    Bello struggled in this one

Hernandez grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Wong popped up to first. Pham grounded out to second to end the inning. The Jays feasted on Zack Kelly in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez hit a home run all the way to Vancouver to start. Tapia struck out swinging but Jansen hit a home run all the way to Calgary. Merrifield grounded out to third but Springer singled to center. Bichette got a base hit to right and Guerrero Jr pounded a ground rule double down the right field line to score George. Kirk lined out to left to end the inning with the Jays up 7-0.

                                                 Hernandez outscores the Sox by himself

Devers got a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth but Bogaerts took strike three. Verdugo grounded into a double play to end the inning. Josh Winckowski cam ein to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Chapman walked to start. Hernandez grounded into a double play and Tapia grounded out to first to end the inning.

Anthony Bass came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Refsnyder struck out swinging to start. Casas got a base hit to right but Arroyo lined out to second. Hernandez lined out to right to end the inning. Jansen flied out to left to start the bottom of the seventh but Merrifield got a base hit to center. Bradley Zimmer pinch hit for Springer and struck out swinging and Otto Lopez pinch hit for Bichette. Lopez got a base hit to center with Cavan Biggio pinch hit for Guerrero Jr. Biggio took strike three to end the inning.

David Phelps came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Wong flied out to center to start. Pham also flied out to center and Devers took strike three to end the inning. The Jays rallied in the bottom of the eighth with Gabriel Moreno pinch hitting for Kirk. Moreno got a base hit to left and Chapman beat out a roller to third. Hernandez doubled to right to score Moreno and Tapia got a base hit to right to score Chapman. Hernandez moved to third on the hit then scored on sac fly to right by Jansen. Merrifield struck out swinging and Zimmer grounded out to short to end the inning with the Jays up 10-0.

                                                           Tapia adds to the misery

Jordan Romano came in to close out the top of the ninth and Bogaerts flied out to left to start. Verdugo took strike three but Refsnyder was plunked. Adam Cimber came in to pitch and Refsnyder took second on defensive indifference. Casas took strike three to end the game. The Jays had won 10-0.

                                                                    Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Brayan Bello. He was routed for 4 runs in 4 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                         "How ya feelin Jackass?" - Dave Bush

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3.

Zack Kelly allowed 3 runs in the fifth inning.

Josh Winckowski allowed 3 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

When one team is going through the motions and the other is fighting for home field advantage in the playoffs, you get games like this. The Red Sox just want to go home and the Jays have World Series aspirations. Who would have thought just four years ago that the 108 win Red Sox wouldn't just lose to the Blue Jays in 2022 but lose 15 out of 18 with scores like 28-5, 9-0 and 10-0. That's 47-5 in just 3 games not counting the rest. One of the reasons the Jays are going on and the Sox are going home is the Jays beating the AL East teams the Sox couldn't. The saddest part of the season was if the Sox were just .500 against the AL East they'd be a playoff team. Losing four of your five starters wasn't helpful and the offense pretty much just gave up after the trade deadline. Only four more games to enjoy JD Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, Matt Barnes, Tommy Pham, Xander Bogaerts, Rich Hill and Abraham Almonte so enjoy them while you can. The loss dropped the Sox to 75-83, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series and their dignity tomorrow afternoon against the Jays when Michael Wacha (11-1) takes on Kevin Gausman of Toronto. The game begins at 1:35 PM at the Skydome.

Jays Blast, Blank Sox (9/30/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Because of Canada's strict Covid vaccination policy, Kaleb Ort was placed on the Restricted List for the final road series of the season. The Sox called up Jarren Duran for one final audition until the Sox return home for their final series.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the sooner this season ends the better. The Boston Red Sox just took 3 out of 4 against the Baltimore Orioles then ran right into their personal babayaga the Toronto Blue Jays. Alek Manoah took another step toward the AL Cy Young Award by tossing 6 shutout innings against the Sox offense. Meanwhile Nick Pivetta (10-12, 4.56 ERA) got hammered for 4 runs in just 5 innings. The Sox got no help from the bullpen as Tyler Danish and Franklin German got pounded for 5 runs combined. The Jays pounded out 13 hits and 9 runs as they blanked the Sox 9-0 at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Manoah got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers walked but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Alex Verdugo lined out to center to end the inning. The Jays wasted no time getting to Pivetta in the bottom of the first as George Springer got a base hit to center to start. Bo Bichette singled to left but Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to right. A wild pitch moved Springer to third and he scored on the Alejandro Kirk grounder to second. Matt Chapman flied out to right to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                         Jays strike first

JD Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the second and Triston Casas struck out swinging. Abraham Almonte popped up to third to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the second as Teoscar Hernandez got a base hit to center to start. Raimel Tapia forced Hernandez at second but Danny Jansen walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Whit Merrifield hit a sac fly to right to score Tapia. Springer flied out to right to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.

                                                           Tapia scores a run

Reese McGuire took strike three to start the top of the third and Christian Arroyo flied out to left. Duran grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Jays got another run in the bottom of the third as Bichette walked to start. Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to Ottawa to ice the game. Kirk walked but Chapman struck out swinging. Hernandez forced Kirk at second and Tapia lined out to first to end the inning with the Jays up 4-0.

                                                            Home run Vlad

Devers walked to start the top of the fourth but Bogaerts flied out to right. A wild pitch moved Devers to second but Verdugo flied out to left. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning. Jansen struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth but Merrifield got a base hit to left. Springer forced Merrifield at second then stole second base. Bichette flied out to center to end the inning.

Casas took strike three to start the top of the fifth but Almonte beat out a roller to first. McGuire flied out to center and Arroyo popped up to short to end the inning. Guerrero Jr lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Kirk beat out a roller to second. Chapman lined out to center and Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Pivetta who allowed 4 runs in 5 innings but got no run support.

                                                             Not his best stuff

Duran got a base hit to right to start the top of the sixth but Devers grounded into a double play. Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. The Tigers iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Tapia hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to start. Jansen and Merrifield got back to back base hits and Springer hit a home run all the way to Edmonton to make this one a laugher. Bichette struck out swinging, Guerrero watched strike three go by and Kirk grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Jays up 8-0.

                                                              This got out of hand quickly

Yusei Kikuchi came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Casas walked. Almonte struck out swinging to end the inning. Chapman took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez grounded out to short. Tapia got a base hit to center but Jansen grounded out to second to end the inning.

McGuire beat out a roller to second to start the top of the eighth but Arroyo struck out swinging. Duran grounded out to short to move McGuire to second and Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for Arroyo. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Franklin German came in to take a beating in the bottom of the eighth as Yu Chang took over at short for Bogaerts. Merrifield hit a ground rule double down the right field line and Bradley Zimmer pinch hit for Springer. Zimmer struck out looking but Bichette got a base hit to right to score Merrifield. Guerrero forced Bichette at second and Kirk lined out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 9-0.

                                                          What a rout

Otto Lopez took over for Bichette for the top of the ninth and Chang struck out swinging to start. Verdugo and Martinez both lined out to center to end the game. The Jays had won it 9-0.

                                                               Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Tyler Danish. He ended any hope of a comeback by allowing 4 runs in 2 innings to put the game out of reach.

                                                               Jackass Danish

The Good:

Rafael Devers walked twice in 3 plate appearances.

Abraham Almonte was 1 for 3.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec struck out as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Yu Chang struck out in his only plate appearance.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Nick Pivetta took the loss allowing 4 runs in 5 innings off 6 hits and 3 walks.

Franklin German allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4.

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Five games left and this torture is over. The Jays have utterly dominated the Sox this season winning 14 out of 17 games and a lot of those games weren't even close. Not that the Sox have done much better against the other AL East teams but Toronto was their big bully this year. The Jays don't just beat them, they beat them badly. Every single hitter on the Jays are probably hitting 20 points higher due to their dominance of the Red Sox and thank goodness this year is almost over. Pivetta was a war horse this season as their only healthy starter wire to wire, its a shame that it was wasted on this year's team. As being mentioned, we're in the final stretch for JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Tommy Pham, Matt Barnes and Nathan Eovaldi. Enjoy them for the next five days. The loss dropped the Sox to 75-82, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Jays when Brayan Bello (2-7) makes his final start of the season against Ross Stripling of the Jays. The game begins at 3:05 PM at the Skydome.

Martinez, Sox Drop Orioles (9/29/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Nathan Eovaldi was activated from the Injured List to make two more starts before the season is over. The rumor is he won't be coming back so this is audition time. Connor Seabold was optioned to Worcester and his season is over after going 0-4 with a 11.29 ERA. Better luck next year Connor.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, its not only Nate Eovaldi that's auditioning for other teams. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez won't be coming back and Martinez was the hero in this one, breaking a 3-3 tie to put the Sox ahead with a home run. The returning Nathan Eovaldi lasted just 5 innings but only allowed 2 runs to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox tied the game against Mike Baumann with two rbis from Triston Casas and Kike Hernandez. The Sox took a 3-2 lead but Kyle Stowers hit a home run off Matt Strahm in the seventh. With one out in the eighth, JD Martinez took Dillon Tate deep for a two run home run. Kaleb Ort slammed the door in the ninth and the Sox had taken three in a row from the Orioles including this one 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                  1999 Pedro Martinez approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first and Cedric Mullins struck out swinging to start. Adley Rutschman doubled to left but Anthony Santander lined out to second. Ryan Mountcastle grounded out to second to end the inning. Baumann got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers flied out to center but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Gunnar Henderson doubled to right to start the top of the second but Austin Hays popped up to second. Rougned Odor hit a bullet to Bogaerts who doubled off Gunnar to end the inning. Triston Casas grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but Christian Arroyo doubled to left. Kike Hernandez and Connor Wong both grounded out to short to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the third as Kyle Stowers got a base hit to right to start. Jorge Mateo got a base hit to left and both runners moved over on the swinging bunt by Mullins in front of the plate. Rutschman grounded out to first to score Stowers and Casas booted a grounder by Santander for an error to score Mateo. Mountcastle lined out to left to end the inning with the O's up 2-0.

                                                     "I don't got it" - Casas

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Pham grounded out to short to start. Devers also grounded out to short and Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning.

Henderson got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Hays took strike three. Odor flied out to center and Stowers popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Martinez doubled to left and and Casas atoned for his error with a double to left to score him. Arroyo struck out swinging but Hernandez drilled a base hit to right to score Casas. Wong took strike three to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                             Hernandez ties it up

Mateo struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Mullins popped up to third. All of a sudden Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout to take the ball after just 72 pitches. Eovaldi shouted at him and left under protest. How do you take a guy out of his potential last start in Boston out after 72 pitches? Eduardo Bazardo walked Rutschman but got Santander to ground back to the mound to end the inning. Eovaldi lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs on just 5 hits.

                                                              Eovaldi doesn't last long

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Pham flied out to right to start. Devers flied out to left and Bogaerts lined out to left to end the inning.

Mountcastle struck out swinging to open the top of the sixth and Henderson also went down hacking. Hays flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox got to Cionel Perez in the bottom of the sixth and Verdugo got a base hit to right to start. A wild pitch moved Verdugo to second but Martinez struck out swinging. Casas beat out a roller to short to put runners at the corners and Arroyo grounded out to third to score Verdugo. Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Casas scores a run

Matt Strahm came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Odor grounded out to second to start. Stowers then hit a home run all the way to Sri Lanka to tie the game. Mateo struck out swinging but Mullins beat out a roller to third. Rutschman grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                                Stowers jacks one

Logan Gillaspie came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Wong. Almonte struck out swinging, Pham lined out to right and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch with Reese McGuire behind the plate for the top of the eighth inning. Santander flied out to left to start and Mountcastle struck out swinging. Arroyo booted a grounder by Henderson for an error and Hays got a base hit to left. Odor forced Hays at second to end the inning. Dillon Tate came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts walked to start. Verdugo forced Xander at second but Martinez blasted his 14th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Casas walked but was forced at second by Arroyo. Hernandez forced Arroyo at second to end the inning with the Sox up 5-3.

                                                          Martinez puts Boston on top

Yu Chang came in to play second with Kaleb Ort in to close out the top of the ninth. Stowers struck out swinging and Terrin Vavra pinch hit for Mateo. Vavra grounded out to short but Mullins got a base hit to center. Rutschman grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. His two run home run put the Sox up for good in the eighth.

                                                                      JD Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Triston Casas was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed just 1 earned run in 4 2/3 innings off 5 hits.

Eduard Bazardo tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Zack Kelly got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Kaleb Ort earned his first save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Matt Strahm allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and and error but drove in a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Yu Chang played second base in the top of the ninth.

Reese McGuire caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Six games remaining and this might have been the final home run for JD Martinez and start by Nathan Eovaldi. They might shut them both down or they may not. But if this was it, that was a hell of a goodbye by Martinez. Its too bad Triston Casas wasn't around all year, Jarren Duran regressed and Trevor Story wasn't healthy because a lineup of Duran, Verdugo, Bogaerts, Devers, Martinez, Story, Casas, Christian Vazquez and Kike Hernandez would have been great. Then again, the problem was four of the five starters got hurt and couldn't beat the AL East as a result. The Sox just took 3 out of 4 against Baltimore but its too little, too late. It would be funny if the Sox win their last 6 in a row to end the year on a 10 game win streak...but that's very unrealistic. The only thing left to do is enjoy all these guys that most likely won't be back for the next six games. The win improved the Sox to 75-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Toronto for their final road trip of the season against the Blue Jays, who's 13-3 against them this season. Nick Pivetta (10-11) goes for the Sox against Alek Manoah of Toronto.

Hill, Sox Shut Down Orioles (9/28/22)

With the season just about over its all about small victories and the third straight season of Alex Verdugo playing well, especially since he was traded for Mookie Betts, unfortunately was wasted on a bad pitching team. Verdugo is currently hitting .284 and he was a big reason for tonight's win against the Baltimore Orioles. Rich Hill (8-7, 4.41 ERA) tossed 6 shutout innings while striking out nine batters. Meanwhile Verdugo drove in a run in the bottom of the first against Dean Kremer and Abraham Almonte hit a home run in the bottom of the third. Verdugo then hit a home run in the sixth inning as well. The trio of Ryan Brasier, Kaleb Ort and Matt Barnes slammed the door and the Sox had beaten the Orioles 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                         TJ Jackson approves of the win

Hill got the ball in the top of the first and Ryan McKenna singled to right to start. Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander struck out swinging before Jesus Aguilar popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Kremer in the bottom of the first as Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers hit a ground rule double into the bullpen and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. Alex Verdugo ripped a base hit to center to score Devers and move Bogaerts to third, but JD Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Devers scores a run

Austin Hays grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Tyler Nevin popped up to short. Jorge Mateo struck out swinging to end the inning. Triston Casas walked to start the bottom of the second but Kike Hernandez popped up to short. Casas got picked off first and Reese McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning.

Terrin Vavra got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Robinson Chirinos  flied out to left but McKenna doubled to left. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third when Abraham Almonte struck his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Pham struck out swinging, Devers lined out to first and Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                           Home run Almonte

Santander grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Aguilar struck out swinging. Hays got a base hit to left and Nevin got a base hit to right, but Mateo flied out to right to end the inning. Verdugo hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the fourth and Martinez grounded out to short. Casas walked but Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning.

Vavra grounded out to second to open the top of the fifth and Chirinos struck out swinging. McKenna walked but Mountcastle struck out looking to end the inning. McGuire popped up to short to open the bottom of the fifth and Almonte popped up to third in foul territory. Pham doubled to right and Devers walked to load the bases, but Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning.

Santander took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Aguilar flied out to center. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Hill who blanked the O's for 6 innings allowing 6 hits and a walk while striking out 9.

                                                        Hill gets it done

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the sixth as Verdugo blasted his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Martinez doubled to to center to chase Kremer. Casas got a base hit to right to move Martinez to third but Hernandez struck out swinging. McGuire dropped down a bunt but Martinez stayed put, Casas getting thrown out at second on the play. Almonte grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                       Home run Verdugo

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gunnar Henderson pinch hit for Nevin. Henderson grounded out to second to start, Mateo took strike three and Vavra grounded out to second to end the inning. Pham flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Devers grounded out to third. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Christian Arroyo came in for Almonte with Kaleb Ort now pitching the top of the eighth. Chirinos immediately hit a home run all the way to Mongolia and Kyle Stowers pinch hit for McKenna. Kyle grounded out to second and Mountcastle struck out swinging. Santander grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's down 3-1.

                                                          Chirinos goes yard

Verdugo lined out to second to open the bottom of the eighth and Martinez grounded out to short. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Aguilar got a base hit to left. Hays grounded into a double play but Henderson walked. Adley Rutschman pinch hit for Mateo and struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-1.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rich Hill. He tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 6 hits and a walk while striking out nine.

                                                                        Hero Hil

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis and a home run.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Abraham Almonte was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 6th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3.

Kaleb Ort allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Christian Arroyo played center in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Seven more games of torture left but at least the Sox are playing a bit better. Rich Hill pitched well tonight and the bullpen held up for the most part. The offense wasn't much but it was just enough to win this one. Its too bad the Sox didn't have a healthy Rich Hill and Michael Wacha all season or else they might have done a heck of a lot better. The story of the season was the rotation decimated by injury and their AL East woes. Not having so many injuries would have helped. With JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Tommy Pham and Matt Barnes headed for free agency, may as well enjoy their final games while you still can. The win improved the Sox to 74-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the four game series tomorrow afternoon when Nathan Eovaldi makes his return from the Injured List to start for Boston. Mike Baumann goes for the Orioles tomorrow afternoon at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.